Portrait of an Unknown Officer of the Royal Fusiliers, MC and Bar

[HertsHistorian]

Hello all,

The regimental mess to which I belong is currently conducting a property check and the question has been asked as to the identity of the unnamed officer depicted in this fine 1917 portrait by the artist Frank Eastman.

The painting's background is almost completely unknown as it was picked up recently having being repaired. How long since it had left the mess is a mystery as there is apparently no memory of it among the longer standing members, or any record of it existing to be sent away in the first place!

In terms of details that might aid identification is that he wears the ribbons of the Military Cross and Bar. According to H.C. O'Neill's The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War, the distinction of the MC and Bar was awarded to 55 officers of the regiment, while a further 3 were awarded their second bar and 1 individual a third bar. He also is wearing a blue flaming grenade recognition flash, which I believe might indicate 2nd Battalion, amongst others. It is signed and dated to 1917 by the artist.

Now purely supposition on my part, but it is likely he was a regular officer, as his portrait was by some means acquired and retained by a regular battalion of the Royal Fusiliers and subsequently passed down through amalgamations to this battalion today. It is also a possibility that he was killed in action, as most portraits I have seen in messes, if not of notable senior commanders, are of those who have been killed.

Please find photos of the portrait attached to this post. Though I realise finding out his identity may prove impossible, I feel it worthwhile tendering a request to the impressive knowledge that exists within this forum.

Thank you in advance for any help in this matter!

Best wishes,

Alex

[Tyneside Chinaman]

Hi,

The Blue Grenade indicates he was the battalion Bombing Officer, rather than it being a battle patch.

regards

John

[Simon_Fielding]

A search on the CWGC for Royal Fusiliers listed as MC and bar:

CORNABY GEORGE ERNEST G E 23 M C and Bar ######## Captain Royal Fusiliers 11th Bn. France TERLINCTHUN BRITISH CEMETERY, WIMILLE IV. B. 36. SON OF THE REV. W. ARTHUR CORNABY AND MARGARET CORNABY. OF KAN-YANG, CHINA.

FLACK WILFRED GEORGE W G 28 M C and Bar ######## Captain Royal Fusiliers 1st Bn. France ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY XVII. C. 28. SON OF GEORGE AND SARAH FLACK, OF GARBOLDISHAM, NORFOLK; HUSBAND OF A. E. FLACK, OF 114, DIANA RD., WALTHAMSTOW, LONDON. WOUNDED FOUR TIMES.

PERSSE HENRY WILFRED H W 32 M C and Bar ######## Major Royal Fusiliers 2nd Bn. France LONGUENESSE (ST. OMER) SOUVENIR CEMETERY V. C. 7. SON OF COL. AND MRS. EDWARD PERSSE, OF 69, WESTRIDGE RD., SOUTHAMPTON; HUSBAND OF MAJORIE F. PERSSE, OF 48, WESTWOOD RD., SOUTHAMPTON.

USHER ARTHUR NORMAN A N 21 M C and Bar ######## Lieutenant Royal Fusiliers 10th Bn. France BEAURAIN BRITISH CEMETERY A. 5. SON OF JOHN PURCELL USHER AND ETHEL BLANCHE USHER, OF REGENT ST., BELIZE, BRITISH HONDURAS.

TOWER BERTIE CHRISTOPHER BUTLER B C B 30 M C and Bar, 3 times Mentioned in Despatches ######## Major Royal Fusiliers Commanding 4th Bn. France BELLACOURT MILITARY CEMETERY, RIVIERE III. F. 1. SON OF F. F. TOWER, COMDR. R.N.V.R., AND LAURA TOWER, OF 66, PRINCE'S GATE, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON. BORN AT CHILTON LODGE, BERKS.

[IPT]

It's not Flack, Persse, Usher or Tower.

[Simon_Fielding]

Looks older than 23 too...worth a go...

[Colin W Taylor]

Alex

May we ask which Mess you belong to and location - there may be a regional or local collection.

Any mention in Regt journals or from previous mess members? Is the donor known or can they be traced?

Might narrow things down.

Regards

Colin

[HertsHistorian]

All,

Many thanks to you for your sage responses already.

Simon and IPT, that’s at least 4 of the 55 discounted so we are closer than we were before! John thank you for clarification on that detail, it could potentially provide another clue.

Colin I’ll send you a PM if that’s okay. The regimental museum has already been contacted about the portrait but I understand without a definite result. The regiment has recently lost a battalion and has inherited property from that source, and with regards details on donors there is nothing on the portrait itself and nothing apparent in records kept elsewhere.

Thanks again!

Alex

[charlesmessenger]

Alex

If we can identify him as a Battalion Bombing Officer in 1917 it is worth a check of war diaries. I know that the Royal Fusiliers Museum at the Tower has copies of most RF war diaries and so this might be where to go. He is certainly not 8th Battalion, since this had no MCs and bar prior to its disbandment. I would agree that ome of the four Regular bns is the most likely and, if a bombing officer, probably a sublatern at the time. Hence trawl RF subatlerns being awarded a bar to the MC from second half of 1916 to late 1917 (bars were not authorised until quite late on in 1916).

Eastman himself was a recognised portrait painter, and this particular work is, to my mind, good.

Do keep us posted on how you get on.

Charles M

[HertsHistorian]

Charles,

I will certainly explore that avenue and see if they can assist in narrowing the search down any further. With regards the flaming blue grenade, I’ve now read elsewhere that it may indicate he was a trench mortar officer as well.

I quite agree with regards the portrait, though not obvious from the photos it is almost life size, which adds a something to it.

Best wishes,

Alex

[squirrel]

Edwards and Langley, British Army Proficiency badges, states blue grenade badge for Trench Mortar Batteries. Officers badges apparently also had white flames.

Authorised in 1916 and endorsed by GRO 1364 1917.

[Guest]

In the remote chance you have not done so already, it is worth checking the back of the portrait for any labels that might have additional information.

Also it is worth noting that some portraits were painted posthumously with the posthumous medal awards. I would not necessarily assume he died having already been awarded his bar to the MC. The second award might have been awarded for an action in which he died.

If memory serves, there were Brigade Bombing Officers, so the Brigade diaries are worth exploring even if to eliminate this line of enquiry. Given his apparent age he may have held this appointment. Ditto Trench Mortar Batteries. My speculation.

Most commercial artists kept meticulous records of their works. It might be worth speaking to the National Portrait Gallery to see if they have any reference material.

At risk of stating the obvious it is also worth trawling the newspaper archives as they often had obituaries with photos. A few years past the GWF managed to identify an anonymous portrait of a young British Officer and the obituary photo was the basis for the portrait. I think exploring those officers who fit the criteria and who died is the best starting point, but it is also worth considering those who survived. This looks to me as if it was done from life, although one can never know.

Lastly, MC citations might yield mention of a Bombing Officer/ Trench Mortar Battery officer.

Good luck with your research. MG

[Simon_Fielding]

When did TMBs come under the aegis of the Royal Artillery?

[Colin W Taylor]

Simon,

Does it depend on the type of TMB - I thought the LTMBs with each brigade remained with the infantry whilst the Div TMBs were RFA and RGA with a few infantry officers.

Looking through the diaries of Brigade TMBs for brigades that held RF battalions may be an option but most sadly only cover the summer of 1916; some only Jul-Aug.

Without a list of RF MCs and bar recipients to go through this task may be difficult.

Regards

Colin

[Loader]

All my ideas already mentioned. I think the artist may be a way to go on this one. A check of where this artist lived & worked might give a clue as to the location of the officer's home too. Seems to have a portrait done would go to loalc man if he had the reputation that is mentioned here. A lack of campaign ribbons also indicates painting done before the issue of the ribbons in I think 1918, & 1919. The records of the aritist seems the best, if the yrs narrowed down it will be easier. No idea how many portraits he could create in a yr. Good luck on this one.

[Simon_Fielding]

H.C. O'Neill's The Royal Fusiliers in the Great War is here: https://archive.org/stream/royalfusiliersin00onei/royalfusiliersin00onei_djvu.txt

Searching for "and bar"....

[johnboy]

I think Eastman sometimes dated his paintings top right?

[Simon_Fielding]

Goodes, George Leonard, M.C. and Bar, Capt., k. in a., 6/10/16.

Carr, Leslie George, M.C. and Bar, Capt., d. of w., 27/4/18.

[RussT]

Photo of Leslie George Carr here:

http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/gwa/item/3128?bt=europeanaapi

[IPT]

Goodes, George Leonard, M.C. and Bar, Capt., k. in a., 6/10/16.

I looked at Goodes earlier, following the trench mortar connection, but found a photo in War Illustrated Album De Luxe that doesn't appear to resemble the portrait.

[Simon_Fielding]

http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=a&s=tu&aid=6097

http://artuk.org/discover/artworks/search/actor:eastman-frank-s-18781964/page/2

[Colin W Taylor]

Gents,

Is there any significance in his not wearing the medal? If it is presumed that it's a dead officer might he not have been invested by the time of painting. If it's a 'full dress' picture, he's wearing his sword, would he not be wearing his gong?

On the other hand it might be to show off the ribbon and bar so it may be nothing.

Regards

Colin

[Simon_Fielding]

Does anyone have contact details for Scott Addington - as he's written a book on MC and bars it might be worth seeing if he can have a look at the thread....

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Uw98jVk5pkoC&pg=PR13&lpg=PR13&dq=royal+fusiliers+trench+mortar+military+cross&source=bl&ots=uUR7CtJVcS&sig=54vY__Veyka-39wDxtn9fb54Tik&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiCpY3o2avLAhUC2BoKHRZ8CPoQ6AEIIDAC#v=onepage&q=royal%20fusiliers%20trench%20mortar%20military%20cross&f=false

[HarryBrook]

Was the Officers' Mess from which the painting originated of The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), a Regular Regiment (and as in the tags to the O.P.), or The London Regiment 1st to 4th (City of London) Battalions Royal Fusiliers, a Territorial Force Regiment? Note that the O.P. states it is probably a Regular Officer.

Gazette notifications are Royal Fusiliers for the former and London Regiment for the latter. Goodes and Carr in post #17 were London Regiment.

If the Officer in question posed for Eastman in 1917 then, by definition, he was alive at the time.

If the portrait was commissioned by the family of the Officer it might be reasonable to assume they had some wealth.

Trawling through the pre-publication Gazettes, the first bars to the M.C. I found are in the Gazette published on 9.9.1916

The list of Royal Fusiliers M.C. bars found up to the end of 1917 is as follows:-

Temp Capt. Albert Alexander Pargiter HUMFREY, 23rd Bn., M.C. Feb. 1917 bar April 1917. He was later Labour Corps, resigned his commission on account of ill health 22.12.1918 and died 26.4.1920 (not C.W.G.C. commemorated). His death warranted an announcement in The Times.

Lt. (Temp. Capt.) Norman Allen LEWIS, 23rd Bn., M.C. Feb 1917 bar April 1917.

Lt. (Actg. Capt.) Henry Wilfred PERSSE, 6th attd. 2nd Bn., M.C. Jan. 1916 bar June 1917.

Lt. Francis George BULL 23rd Bn. M.C. June 1917 bar July 1917. He was a battalion signalling officer.

2nd Lt. Oliver William HEPBURN, Bn. not known. M.C. Aug. 1917 bar Sept. 1917.

Temp. Capt. (Actg. Maj.) Samuel John Markham HOLE, 17th Bn. M.C. Feb. 1917 bar Sept. 1917.

Temp. 2nd Lt. George Stanley PEARCY, Bn. not known. M.C. April 1917 bar October 1917.

Temp. 2nd Lt. Wilfrid Pym TROTTER, 32nd Bn. M.C. Jan. 1917 bar Nov. 1917.

Lt. (Actg. Capt.) Rupert Charles BAMBRIDGE, Bn. not known. M.C. April 1917 bar Nov. 1917.

Lt. (Actg. Capt.) James Ferrand DEARDEN, 2nd Bn. M.C. Sept. 1916, bar Nov. 1917. He can probably be discounted as he was also D.S.O. before receiving a bar to his M.C.

and the officer in the portrait is not wearing the ribbon.

Accuracy of the list not guaranteed!

For a portrait painted in 1917 it might be "pushing it a bit" for it to be one of those awarded the bar October or November.

[Simon_Fielding]

Herts, I've taken the liberty of sending an email to the enquiries desk of the National Portrait Gallery who might know of Eastman resources - hope that is OK?

[Simon_Fielding]

http://bambridge.org/FamPhotos/rupert_charles_bambridge.htm